New York Daily Photo Analytics

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Legal Answer or the Practical Answer?

I have a friend, Paul Fryd, who is an attorney in New York City and, on occasion, over the years, has provided phone advice in difficult situations. His initial mantra to any question was predictable, even irritating - because he was right and I usually did not want to hear it. When I presented the details of any problem, his first response was, "What do you want first - the legal answer or the practical answer?"

I rarely liked the practical, sensible business answer. Like settling with someone who was clearly wrong, yet paying them anyway to expedite the matter and move on, rather than wasting more time and money in legal fees to see "justice" being served.

Freedom and exercising it can be equally frustrating. Legally, we do have freedom of expression, but in practice, these freedoms are not always so easily exercised. There are many ways to effectively eliminate or subdue people who act and think differently in a community, including police intimidation (see Criminal Suspect here). 

The Statue of Liberty stands in Upper New York Bay as an icon to American freedom. Within the context of the United States, for many, New York City stands as a place to chase their dreams and also to exercise freedom to express themselves in any manner they choose without fear of ostracism. Here, New Yorkers are extremely tolerant, even embracing and nurturing eccentricities that elsewhere would be untenable. In the case where behaviors are even technically illegal but benign, laws are often not enforced.

Unfortunately, money is also part of the freedom equation, and the economics of living in New York City is closing the window of opportunity for many who would like to live here and exercise various lifestyle choices unfettered. However, for those who are tenacious and adequately driven, living in New York City for the person of average means is still possible, albeit requiring some resourceful thinking and a willingness to compromise a lot.

Why be a martyr on Main Street in Anytown, USA, when in New York City, riding the N train from Coney Isand with a cockatoo will be met with either indifference, amusement or delight? I have seen a wide range of very unusual pets in public in New York City, many of them illegal to own. Can you ride the subway in New York City with a cockatoo? What do you want first - the Legal Answer or the Practical Answer? :)

Other Related Posts: Extra! Extra! Read All About It"The Women", New Yorkers Gone Wild, False Assumptions

2 comments:

Kendigram said...

The Practical Answer seems obvious, at least to me. But I am curious about the Legal Answer. I would think it is illegal on the subway system, but then the bird is on a "leash", whatever that accounts for, I'm not even sure. This man obviously needs a lot of attention. Maybe in Australia it's legal, who knows. In Australia these birds(cockatoos) are so common they are considered pests, or at least that used to be the case many years ago. But here in New York, I gotta tell you, it sure doesn't seem right. And as a past parrot owner myself (yes, Tooky, sadly passed away several years ago, he was just under 30 years old) I must say I think what he's doing is utterly irresponsible. To each his own?!

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